Preheater for stills



Sept. s, 1925. 1,552,433

H. A. HILLS v PRBHEATER FQR STILLS Filed July 11. 1921 Patented Sept. 8, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATIENT OFFICE.

HENRY A. HILLS,.OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

rnnnm'rnn For. sums.

Application filed July 11, 19m. serial no. 488,679.

the numerals of reference marked thereon,-

Which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to stills, particularly those adapted for the purifying of gasoline, benzine and naphtha, or other cleansing fluids, which after having been used in the cleaning of clothes or the like, neces sarily must be distilled in order to be reclaimed and used over again. In distilling such liquids it is customary to preheat the dirty liquids by the vapors given out from the still to savefuel. In gasoline stills it has been customary heretofore to pass the vapors through pipes arranged within a tank for the gasoline to be preheated. It has, however, been found that the heating of this dirty gasoline causes a part of the grease and other material in solution or suspension to separate or precipitate out with the result that a greasy deposit forms over the vapor pipes and on the walls of the tank which eventually interferes with the flow of the liquid and the transfer of heat from the vapor to the liquid. It has been discovered that if the incoming gasoline is preheated to a highertemperature than that possible from vapors escaping from the still, such deposition of grease or dirt upon the intake pipe will be avoided, and oneof the objects of this invention, therefore, is-to provide means for so heat-- ing the exterior of the intake pipe for the dirty cleansing fluid so that the deposition;

of dirty or greasy matter on the interior thereof will be avoided.

Further, if a new charge of dirtyliquid is introduced into the still-ata temperature lower than that of the li uid already therein, a chilling effect takes p ace which renders the subsequent distillation more difficult. This chilling effect also condenses the vapors present, producing a partial vacuum. which sometimes strains the material of the still walls to almost the collapsing point.

One of the principal objects of the present invention, therefore, is to provide means for preheating the fluid .to be distilled without causing the deposit of grease'or the like on the heating and other surfaces.-

Another object of the invention isto eliminate the vacuum effect caused by the sudden condensation or chilling of the vapors in the still, and thereby prevent the possibility of accidents.

A further object of this invention is to provide means for so preheating the incoming dirty fluid that it will bebrought to a higher degree of temperature than has formerly been thought possible, thereby saving fuel and moreover using as a heating means for the incoming liquid the exhaust steam or the like which has been employed for applying heat to the gasoline in the still.

Another and further important object of this invention is to so usethe condensed hot water discharged from the steam heating pipe within the still to preliminarily heat the incoming dirty cleansing fluid andthereby avoid any loss of heat from the waste. or flowing away of such discharged hot water.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the accompanying drawings and following specification.

The invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter morefully described.

On the drawings:

Figurel is a side elevation of a still embodying the features of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional, view illustrating the connection of the preheater to the still and its relation to the automatic regulating device with which this particular still is provided.

Figure 3 heater.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the preheater.

Figure5 is a sectional view showmg the connection of the exhaust pipe of the steam heatin coil to. the preheater.

As s own on the drawings:

The reference numeral 10 indicates the tank or container of the still proper Tor is aperspective view of the prevaporizer having an enlarged outlet pipe 12 e '18 is positionedin this pipe for the regulation of the. flow of gasoline therethrough. An automatic regulating device to control the height of liquid in the still and which comprises-a float chamber shown at is shown as installed in this apparatus, the construction and operation of such regulating device being shown and described in my co-pending application for U. S. Letters Patenton still regulator, Serial No. 483,678, filed the 11th day of July, 1921. A feed pipe 22 leads-from the bottom of this automatic regulating tank to the bottom of the still 10and it is on the portion of this pipe 22 which extends from the regulating tank to the still on which the preheater 24 is installed.

The pipe 22 is provided at its lower end with an internally threaded pprtion bent, at

' right angles to the downward direction of the pipe and adapted for the insertion of an externally threaded pipe 24 which forms a horizontal extension of the pipe 22 and which is externally threaded at its farther end so as to connect with a T-head 26 adaptbottom of the still;

for the hot water and any uncondensed steam is provided and leads out of the top of the far end-of the preheater and then bends downwardly at 38 as best shown in. Figure 2, thereby positively insuring that the preheater is always kept filled'with hot water fromthe exhaust steam used in coils 7 ing on the surface of a column of liquid 32. A valve 40 is provided on the pipe 34 so as to control the flow of hot water or steam from the coils 32 into the preheater.

The operation is as follows: i A quantity of the cleansing fluid or liquid to be distilled is allowed to run into the tank 10, its height in the tank being automatically controlled by the regulating de-v vice 20 which includesa float valve operatmaintained in connection with the liquidin the'still 10 as best shown in Fi e 2. After the desired amount of liquid 1s in the still 10, a supply of heating steam'is allowed to flow through the coils 32 thereby heating .the liquid 'in the still and vaporizing the same, causing the vapors to flow over through the pipe12 into the condenser 14,

An exhaust pipe 36 The exhaust hot water from the steam in the heating coil 32 is then allowed to run into the pipe 34 by opening the valve 40 and from the pipe 34 this hot water flows into the annular space between the intake pipe 24 for the dirty :liquid and the jacket therearound.

This hot water coming from the coil 32 .is at a temperature of approximately 212 F. and has the effect of preheating the incoming cleansing fluid to quite a considerable degree, and as the pipe 24 is comparatively large the flow therethrough will not be prevented or retarded by any deposition 1 of grease or other dirty matter upon its inner' surface which moreover is not very likely, on account of the high temperature of the water maintained in the jacket 30. Any excess of hot water is allowed to overflow from the jacket 30 through the pipe 36 which, as will be seen in Figure 4, extends upwardly from the top of the jacket so that it will always be maintained full of such heating liquid, and the excess is allowed to drip away through the downwardly extending pipe 38 which may be connected to admin or'sewer.

It will be seen that in this manner the incoming dirty gaso'line or other cleansing liquid is positively and thoroughly preheated before entering the still 10, thereby resulting in a great saving of fuel andwhich will be particularly advantageous from a consideration of the fact that such preheating 'is accomplished by Waste water from the steam in the heating coil which would ordinarily be thrown away. An automatlc regulating device v30 further insures a rather slow flo'w through the preheater 24 and this insures a thorough preliminary heating of thecl'iquid as it passes therethrough.

I am aware that many changes may be made and various details. of construction varied without-departing from the principles of this invention, and I therefore do' not purpose limiting the patent granted otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

, In a distillation apparatus means for circulating' a heating medium through the liquid in a still and preheating means for the liquid entering the still, comprising a supply pipe for the liquid, a jacket surrounding the same, a connection adapted to convey the spent heating medium from. the

still to the jacket and an elevated outlet from said jacket to form a water seal for the condensate in said spent heating medium.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

HENRY HILLS. 

